WILLIAMS DE 372

Ship Name and Designation History

This section lists the names and designations that the ship had during its lifetime. The list is in chronological order.

John C. Butler Class Type WGT Destroyer Escort Keel Laid June 5 1944 - Launched August 22 1944 USS WILLIAMS DE-372 Commissioned November 11 1944 - Decommissioned June 4 1946 Struck from Naval Register July 1 1967 Sunk as target June 29 1968 off California

Naval Covers

This section lists active links to the pages displaying covers associated with the ship. There should be a separate set of pages for each name of the ship (for example, Bushnell AG-32 / Sumner AGS-5 are different names for the same ship so there should be one set of pages for Bushnell and one set for Sumner). Covers should be presented in chronological order (or as best as can be determined).

Since a ship may have many covers, they may be split among many pages so it doesn't take forever for the pages to load. Each page link should be accompanied by a date range for covers on that page.

1. Covers Page 1     (1946)

 

Postmarks

This section lists examples of the postmarks used by the ship. There should be a separate set of postmarks for each name and/or commissioning period. Within each set, the postmarks should be listed in order of their classification type. If more than one postmark has the same classification, then they should be further sorted by date of earliest known usage.

A postmark should not be included unless accompanied by a close-up image and/or an image of a cover showing that postmark. Date ranges MUST be based ONLY ON COVERS IN THE MUSEUM and are expected to change as more covers are added.
 
>>> If you have a better example for any of the postmarks, please feel free to replace the existing example.

 

Postmark Type --- Killer Bar Text	Postmark Date	Thumbnail Link To Postmark Image	Thumbnail Link To Cover Image

 

Locy Type 2z

1946

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Locy Type 9# 15146 Branch

1946-04-06

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Other Information

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons...
American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal w/ 1 star - World War II Victory Medal - Philippine Liberation Ribbon

NAMESAKE - George Washington Williams USN (July 30 1869 - July 18 1925)
Williams graduated from the Naval Academy in 1890 and served two years of sea duty before he was commissioned an Ensign on July 1 1892. He served in a succession of sea and shore billets through the turn of the century. In addition, he served on the staff of the Commander in Chief, Asiatic Fleet, in 1899 and commanded the torpedo boat BAINBRIDGE in 1903 before commanding the 1st Torpedo Boat Flotilla. Reporting to USS WISCONSIN BB-9 on April 5 1905, he subsequently joined the Protected Cruiser USS CHICAGO C-14 for a tour of duty which included relief efforts at San Francisco, Cal. in the wake of the earthquake and fire which destroyed much of that city.
In the years immediately preceding World War I, Williams served as ordnance officer in USS MONTANA Armored Cruiser No. 13; commander of the Atlantic Torpedo Fleet; Inspector of Ordnance in Charge at the Naval Torpedo Station; Commanding Officer of the Cruiser USS CLEVELAND C-19 and later of Battleship USS OREGON BB-3, before he assumed command of USS PUEBLO Armored Cruiser No. 7 on April 29 1917. Williams, by then a Captain, was awarded the Navy Cross for "distinguished service in the line of his profession" while commanding PUEBLO during World War I, as the armored cruiser engaged in the "important, exacting, and hazardous duty of transporting and escorting troops and supplies to European ports through waters infested with enemy submarines and mines." Detached from PUEBLO on September 6 1918, Williams participated in fitting out the new dreadnaught USS IDAHO BB-42 and later served ashore in the Office of Naval Intelligence. He took the Naval War College course in 1919 and 1920 before commanding the USS NEW MEXICO BB-40 from May 31 1921 to May 18 1922. After detachment from NEW MEXICO, Williams became the senior member of the Pacific Coast section of the Board of Inspection and Survey.
Reaching flag rank on September 29 1922, Williams served as Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief, Atlantic Fleet, and later as the Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief, United States Fleet, when the former command was reorganized. Detached from this duty in the spring of 1923, Williams subsequently served at Charleston SC as the Commandant of the 6th Naval District before breaking his two-star flag in USS CONCORD CL-10 on September 15 1924 as Commander, Destroyer Squadrons, Scouting Fleet. Rear Admiral Williams died on July 18 1925 at the Naval Hospital, Charleston SC

 

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